Improvement in artificial lecjs



avoided the "second Whenthe ball of the foot strikes the'groun'd, so common with: other artificial legs.

' ingtfhelilin position NITED STATES PATENT QFFICE PETER oeiun, or noennsrnn, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN ARTIFICIAL LEGS.

. specilicotion forming m of Letters Patent No. eme enema October 21', 1863.

To rill zbhont it may concern:

Beit .known that 1, PETER Looms, of

Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State. .of New York,- have invented ccrtai I1 new and useful Improvements in Artificial Legs; and I do hereby declare that the rollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccomp-anying. drawings, making a part of this specification, in

Figure l isa vertical central section of the invention. Fig. 2' is artrensverse section f taken inthe direction of the red line in Fig-L1. 4

Fig. 3 ism. plan or thej'oint-block or saddle G. *b

Sim'il'or'letters indicate: corresponding parts in the several drawings;

This inventionconsists 'in providing the feet of artificiallegs witha; fixed adj Sting leverofstand'ardrunning up centrally in the shell of the leg, to at proper height, and connecting it at the: top with -a-snita-ble spring or springs,

. the-tension'ofi'which may beadjusted bye setscrew, and which is so set asto just-support the foot. The action of the latter is thus rendered easier and;- morenaturadthanis that of those. nowinse, espeeialiy'when the foot i'szplaced'. forwardin walking. The draft or thespring' being! in. a line with the lever or standard, the position of I the foot must be changed considernbly before tliespring is required to: stretch much, and by'this means is sound or clap, caused To. enable others skilled int-he art to make and use my invention, 1 will proceed to describe its construction and operation;

I Theshe'll A and foot B- Inay'be'made of'any' suitable material or form; The top'of the .foot,,attlie aIIk-le,1is.recessedout, as seen in the foot B by The foot may be hung with set I posit-ion, lev'er-f' is; carried in the; opposite directioni=- jlensed front such p essure) "the a'lljusting-lever-fto resuin it idir'ecjtiom', and with it the-gfootr when the.-

ing fixed to the l base of the leg for that urpose; or, if desired, the-pivoti may be fixedin the blocks In either case the workingbearings should be cushioned with rawhide- ,or similar; substance. The adjustingQleveif f posses" loosely through the mortise s in the" "block 0;; The spiral sprin 3 may be covered I .with soft le'at'er, and its hooks cushionedwith rawhide to prevent I their wearing. This spring is hooked to the lever f and the hanger 1;.The'letter passes. up through the bridge D,- a'nd is secured by the set-nut b; There'- ma e it washer, c, of leather put between the 1 nut and the bridge to preventany chafing'be tween them; or there may be a spiral or other spring substituted at this point forthe spring '2' should beconuectmftogether'end hinged to the foot and'leg -end the top of the lever f passed loosely through the bridge D. There; is :i' stop-hooiq'g', secured through. the heel of There is a; similar stop-hook, lIg-at required, in which' case the joint-ears- E must" velsebe applied to the shellA; The joint? block 0 is placed upon the fixedf' pivot '0. The "leg-"A is then" pivot i. This produces a. simple, cheap; and! placed in position upon the} very durable' f miversal'joint.' The s pringf v.S isthen hooked in and-{the nut Ii turned down until the-spring'isstrained sufficiently to'hold the foot and boot or shoe in positi'on;

the" toes elevatedor'd'epressed from their present position by' bendingi the' topof the adjusting-Ie'verf for ward or back ofits present relativedir'ectiow from the foot,-as seen in Fig.1. It will be seen thet'wheu' the footis for'c'ed out ofits in any direction,-th'e top'o'f the out of aI--str'a;i'ght line with-theank l'e-joiiit and the hook-d, v proportio'n'tothe greater or'less movement oftthe footya'nd therefore soon a's' it is re the springrcause s n'a'tnrsr the set-nut n. The pin 0, on; which the hook catches'has acushiong-e-of rubber. I

' tached to the bridge; D, when a knee-joint is and thesjirihg Sis strained in" latterlis elevated, as shown by the, dotted be increased or'diminished {by m-ea-lis ef the set-nut 11', whereby the book. 9' is length-med or shortened. This position of the feet earrie-s the top of the adjusting-lever fbzwk, as shown by the dotted; lin'esf', which, at course,

I stretches the spring S.. The toe'may bedspressed until the edge of the shefit strikes at t within the guard gt.

What I claim as my inventioh and desire ta secure by Letters Patent, is'-- The employment er use of the adjusting 1eyer-01 stzmdardf, (fixed to the f0'0t,)in- 00m- Q'bi-xiation-with it suitable spring are springs, fer

the pszx'pes'e 0f regulating theposi-tidn of the feet 38; szabstzmtiefly in the manner specified.

- PETER LOOKIE.

Witnessem WM fiLoneateoztom-m; ASA H. Engines, 

